| By Bob Weaver
Despite years of talk, Calhoun and most rural West Virginia counties have yet to receive high-speed/broadband Internet services for all its residents.
Calhoun has seen some advances with Frontier placing equipment inside their remote switches, which allows service within a three mile radius.
Gov. Joe Manchin says he wants the state totally hooked to broadband by 2010. Verizon says they will be bringing more high-speed Internet to rural areas of West Virginia.
Verizon and Connected Nation, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit technology group, will map the state's broadband availability and develop a plan to provide high-speed service to rural areas, says Verizon.
Verizon does not serve many of WV's rural areas.
Frontier has some plans to expand high-speed to Calhoun.
The company currently offers High-Speed Internet (HSI) in Calhoun at the Arnoldsburg switching center (304-655) and remote switches within the Arnoldsburg exchange at Adam, Chloe and Letherbark.
Service is also available from the Grantsville switching center (304-354) and remote switches within the Grantsville exchange at
Ayers,
Big Bend,
Big Springs,
Henrietta,
Hur and
Mt Zion.
Frontier says it has an active project to deploy HSI service to the Freed remote of the Grantsville exchange by the end of the year.
"The 2008 budget is not yet complete, so I can't provide any information regarding HSI deployment areas beyond 2007," said Karen C. Miller, Communications Manager.
Frontier will contribute up to $100,000 annually through 2012 to K-12 schools.
Calhoun County schools received $3,119 in 2006, on top of its allotment for 2005 of $40,491, said Miller.
"We are very appreciative of the generosity of Frontier Communications that has allowed us to have video conferencing capabilities in all three of our schools, as well as our Board of Education offices. This technology will allow our students and teachers to have experiences from around the world, " said former superintendent Ron Blankenship.
Connected Nation says it will produce detailed county-by-county maps using the state's geographic information system mapping technology, which was developed for enhanced 911 service.
Along with the mapping, Verizon will expand its digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet service to 100 new communities in the state by 2010.
The company says it will equip 260 remote facilities â mostly in rural areas â with DSL technology by the end of the year.
"We are coming up on crunch time. The federal government doesn't have the money for broad national programs," for high-speed service, said Sen. Jay Rockefeller.
| 
